Decorative hearing aid carrier



Jan. 17, ,1956 2,731,054v

B. DRIBEN DECORATIVE HEARING AID CARRIER Filed July 13, 1953 INVENTOR. BEATRICE 19E/BEN.

United States Patent O DECORATIVE HEARING AIDl CARRIER Beatrice Driben, New York, N. Y.

Application July 13, 1953, Serial No. 367,549

2 Claims. (Cl. ISO-.5)

This invention relates generally to articles of apparel, and is particularly directed to Yarticles of apparel for disguising and concealing hearing aids and like devices of doubtful cosmetic value.

The particular embodiment of the present invention, which is illustrated in the drawings and which will be described hereinafter in greater deail, -comprises generally, a carrier or pocket for receiving the article to be disguised, means for opening and lclosing the carrier to insert and withdraw the hearing aid from the carrier,

and ya cover having suitable ornamentation and adaptedto removably surround and conceal the carrier and hearing aid.

It is a Vprincipal object of the present invention to provide an article of apparel of the typey described which is neat and attractive in use, being adapted to simulate a Corsage of flowers or other desired ornamentation, so as to completely disguise and conceal a hearing aid or other corrective device.

lt is another object of the vpresent invention to lprovide an article of apparel having the characteristics mentioned in the foregoing paragraph yand which is adapted for wide versatility inv use. -By the present invention, the article of 'apparel with a hearing aid vcarried therein may be selectively worn on a garment at any desired location, or may be worn in the hair `of 'the user, the latter permitting use of the article 'with' bathing attire, evening gowns and other oif-the-shoulder .types of apparel..

It is lan allied object of the present invention to provide an article of apparel of the type described which may be worn as an integral unit and positioned at any desired location, and kwhich mayy also be utilized as inter-connected elements adapted Vto be worn on oppositel sides of a garment.

It is still `another object of the present invention to provide an article of apparel of the type described, which has the advantages mentioned above and which completely eliminates the need for vmetal or other rigid fastening devices. As is well known to those versed in the art, rigid fasteners, and particularlythose fabricated of metal, serve to pick up andrcreate noise which is transmitted through the hearing aid to the wearer. Thus, the present invention completely obviates this source of noise and irritation.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide (an article of apparel of the type described in which the carrier is provided with novel opening and closing means adapted to simulate a bow, and in which the rcover is suitable for accommodating hearing aids of widely varying sizes.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an article of apparel of the type described which is simple in construction and operation, which is effective for its intended purposes, and which can be manufactured and sold at a reasonable cost.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification and ICC referring to the accompanying drawings, which form a material part of this disclosure.

The invention accordingly 'consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and' arrangements of parts which will be yexemplified in the construction hereinafter described and of which the scope will Fig. 3 is a front view showing ,one forni of ornamentation adapted for application tothe cover of t'hepresent invention. f

Fig. 4 is a front elevational viewshowing a device constructed in accordance vwith the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a rear elevational view showingthe device of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view showing one mode of wearing the device of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a side elevational view showing another mode of wearing the device of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged, .fragmentary front elevational view showing one manner of connecting the pocket to the cover.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a method of wearing the device of the` present invention.

Fig. l() is a perspective viewillustrating another manner of wearing the device of the -fpresent invention.

Referring nowy more particularly to the drawings, and

particularly to Fig. 5 thereof, the embodiment ofthe invention illustrated therein Acomprises `a carrier 20 Vand a cover 2i surrounding the carrier..

The carrier 20 is preferably .fabricatedofka single strip 22 of .flexible cloth or other suitable material. The strip- 22 is folded upon itself intermediate :its ends to form front and back walls 23 and 2,4, WhichV are secured together along their side marginal edges by stitching 25 and 26. The stitchingl 25 and 26 eXtnds upwardly `from the bottom fold 27 and terminates at vpoints y28 and .29 intermediate the bottom foldandupper strip edges 30 and 31. Thus, the lfront and back walls ,23 and 24.are

secured together along theirsideand ,-bfottom edges to. form a pocket or carrier, whichopens upwardly betweenv the front and back walls.

Extending. upwardly from the front and rear walls 23.

and 24 are strip portions 32 and Av33 which provide flexible extensions onopposite sidesiof `the carrier opening. A buttonhole or other aperture 34 is Yformed in thefront wallv extension 3'2y adjacent Ito thel lfront wall l"23, fora purpose appearing hereinafter. i

The cover, generally designated '21; is fabricated of kaY general-ly circular sheet 38 of flexible, reticulated ma# terial, see Fig. 2. Extending along the margin ofthe reticulated sheet .3S/and threaded,'throughy the reticulations thereof 'is an elastic cord'ormerriber 39 of generally circular 'configuration and having its opposite ends 40l and 41j crossing each other `as at 42. YWhen in use, the

elasticcord ends-lil and 41 are tied togetherto vfornr a knot or bow 43 (see Figs. 4 and 5), so as to yieldablgy;V

avancee with, or,`- another desiredl ornamentation may be substituted in its place.

In preparing the device for use, the front wall extension 32 is inserted through one of the reticulations of the sheet 38, best seen in Fig. 8. The front wall extension 32 is drawn through the sheet 33 so that the pocket 20 is on one side of the sheetand the extension, including the buttonhole 34, is on the other side of the sheet. A hearing aid, shown in dashed outline at Si), is then inserted into the pocket 20 through the opening between the front and back wall extensions. The from wall extension 32 is then inserted through the sheet 38 and the back wall extension 33 is passed through the buttonhole 34 to close the upper end of the pocket 20.

The ends 40 and 41 of the elastic cord 39 are then tied in a bow 43 or other suitable manner so that the marginal edge of the cover sheet 38 is contracted to an area less than that of the pocket and enclosed hearing aid. Manual stretching of the elastic cord 39 .will open the margin of the sheet 38 suflicient to permit the passage therethrough of the pocket or carrier 20 and contained hearing aid Si?. Upon release of the elastic cord 39, the marginal portion of the sheet 3? will contract to surround and substantially enclose the carrier and hearing aid. In the above manner, the cover 21 including sheet 38 and elastic cord 39 may be adapted to accommodate hearing aids of widely varying sizes.

- With the carrier 20 disposed within the cover 2 to provide an integral unit, the device may be secured, as by pins through the extensions 32 and 33 or other suitable means, to the exterior of a garment 51, as seen in Figs. 6 and 10. The connecting wire 52 may then be connected to the person in the conventional manner. Thus, the hearing aid 5t) has been completely disguised and concealed, and presents the appearance of a Corsage or other decorative object. It will be noted that the extensions 32 and 33 are shirred or gathered to simulate the end pieces of a bow normally associated with a Corsage. The front wall extension 32 is shirred by insertion through the reticulated sheet 38, and the back wall extension 33 is shirred by extension through the buttonhole 34.

In Fig. 7 is shown another manner of wearing the device with a garment 51. The front and back wall extensions 32 and 33 are inserted through the cover sheet 38 as described hereinbefore, thus closing the pocket 20 and connecting the latter to the cover 21. However, a carrier 20 is not enclosed by the cover 21 butis only connected to the latter by the front and back wall extensions. With the device in this condition, the carrier may be inserted interiorly of a garment over the garment edge, as in the bosom of a wearer, and the cover 21 may be disposed exteriorly of the garment so as to provide ornamentation and retain the carrier in position. By wearing the device in this fashion, it is unnecessary to xedly secure the same to the garment so that the device may be readily removed and replaced as desired.

Another mode of wearing the device is illustrated in Fig. 9, wherein the article is worn in the hair of the user so as to obtain the advantages of the device when wearing evening clothes, sundress, bathing suits and other similar attire. The carrier 20 is disposed Within the cover 21 and the unit may be secured to a switch of hair by a rubber band encircling the extensions 32 and 33 or a hairpin extending through the reticulated sheet 38. Thus, the article, if firmly secured in place, may be worn without a head band.

4 t From the foregoing, it is seen that the present invention provides a device for disguising and concealinga hearing aid or the like, .fhich fully accomplishes its intended objects, and is well adapted to meet practical conditions of use.

Although the present invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, it is understood that certain changes and modications may be made Within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what claim as new and. desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An article of apparel for concealing a hearing aid or the like, said article comprising a pocket fabricated of flexible material and having a pair of opposed walls and an opening between the walls to permit of the insertion and withdrawal of said hearing aid, means to secure the opening in ciosed condition, and a ilexible cover removably surrounding said pocket for ornamenting and concealing the latter, said securing means comprising a pair of extensionssecured to said opposed walls on opposite sides of said pocket opening, one of said extensions being provided with a through aperture, the other of said extensions being considerably wider than the aperture and being removably insertable through said aperture for closing said pocket and for being thus shirred to simulate a bow, said cover comprising a exible sheet adapted to carry ornamentation, and an elastic member along the margin of said sheet to releasably contract the same about said pocket, said cover having an oritice which is much smaller than the width of said apertured extension which is removably insertable in said orifice for shirring said apertured extension and for connecting said pocket to said cover.

2. An article of apparel for concealing a hearing aid or the like, said article comprising a pocket having a front and a back wall secured together along their side and bottom margins, the upper end of said pocket being open to permit of the insertion and withdrawal of said hearing aid, a flexible extension on the upper end of each the front and the back Wall, and a flexible cover of a reticulated material adapted to carry ornamentation and having an elastic member along the margin of said cover to releasably contract the latter about said pocket when desired, one of said extensions being provided with an aperture adjacent to the associated wall and being insertable through said reticulated covcr material for connecting said pocket to said cover at at least one point and for shirring said apertured extension, said latter extension removably receiving and shirring the other of said extensions, said shirred extensions simulating a bow, said article of apparel being selectively usable with the pocket and the cover on opposite sides of a garment and with the cover enveloping the pocket as an integral unit.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,236,285 Gallie Aug. 7, 1917 1,867,116 Thornhill et al. July 12, 1932 1,893,888 Goldwyn Ian. 10, 1933 1,965,040 Kelly July 3, 1934 1,978,970 Thornhill et al Oct. 30, 1934 2,529,578 Thompson Nov. 14, 1950 2,584,896 Mafris Feb. 5, 1952 

